In September 2008, the American International Group, AIG, the largest insurance company in the United States, collapsed under the weight of bad debts incurred from insuring mortgage-backed securities. Although the corporation made significant progress in addressing liquidity issues related to its financial products and its securities-lending activities, in the middle of continued financial market turmoil, it failed to preserve and maximize the value of its business practices for the benefit of its stakeholders. As a result, AIG reported the largest quarterly losses in U.S corporate history, $61.7 billion in Q4.
The Federal Reserve bailed out AIG with an $85 billion loan in exchange for a 79.9% equity stake. Three weeks later, AIG was granted $37.8 billion loan as liquidity for its securities-lending business. Even after these initial infusions, losses continued to mount and in November, the Treasury provided another $20.9 billion under a new program, summing up the total bailout package to $144 billion under three different credit line programs. In March 2009, the Federal government agreed on providing AIG another $30 billion with a fourth program raising the bailout bill to $174 billion. By July 2009, the bailout package had reached $182 billion.
At the same time, AIG became the target of extensive outrage as a result of the $165 million paid in bonuses to AIG senior management and traders that actually caused the collapse. Investors, taxpayers and the public in general were disgusted at the idea of the people who caused AIG’s collapse and financial distress to be rewarded as heroes.
The first immediate impact of AIG bailout is evident on investor confidence. In spite of the increased consumer spending and household income in the beginning of 2009, the AIG scandal overshadowed the markets. Considering that more than the US population owns stocks and other securities and with global capital markets reacting aggressively to AIG press releases and government bailout packages, the US economy and, consequently, the global economy, are affected by the governmental actions to help a corporate monster recover.
Besides, since October 2007 when the Dow was around 14,100 until today that is at 9,750, investors have lost 31 percent of their value. Even worse, in fourteen trading sessions, the Dow has toppled from 8,000 to below 7,000. At the same time, unemployment is at an all time high having affected nearly five million Americans, while productions levels continue to shrink and layoffs surpass any growth.
Technically what AIG was provided is a loan, but, in effect, it is a bailout because without that amount of money the company could have gone bankrupt. Now, AIG not only has to pay back the money, but taxpayers are also hooked with the company since they own, along with the U.S. government, 79.9% of it. The question about investors is how AIG can sell off its assets at a high price when capital markets are still in turmoil and there is not much liquidity in the markets? Wall Street is out of cash and investors are out of faith. So, in a way, AIG paying back its debt is a hope given that the company has a lot of debt in its liabilities. If the market explodes, taxpayers and the government are going to be on the hook for AIG.
Another thing that seems to be slightly misunderstood is the fact that AIG failure is not terrible only because the company was so big, but mostly because with AIG getting out of the picture for having backed mortgage-backed securities, the possibility of a domino effect is evident. Any business or individual that has been involved and has done business with AIG faces the reality of seeing own assets going under. And is such an unstable and weak financial environment this would a nightmare scenario.
The government AIG bailout shows the levels of corruption in corporate America. Before AIG, the common measurement of bonuses was a company’s profitability. If the business was profitable, management was compensated with a bonus. If the business was losing money, there was no bonus involved. After AIG, things got reversed.
On the other hand, there are people who think that government bailout to AIG helped US economy to overcome the depression. However, the experience of previous recessions has shown that the end comes only when inflated prices shrink to a level that allows the majority of people to enjoy fundamental goods of life such as housing, clothing and nourishment.
The U.S. government is on the hook for succeeding in saving AIG for the moment. But, those who will make sure this bailout works are the U.S. taxpayers. The systemic risk that AIG posed in the first place and continues to pose combined with the volatility of capital markets, the cost to the US economy and the governmental inaction does little to re-inspire investor confidence. Even worse, government AIG bailout is a straight attack on the common sense of people. Unfortunately, this will take a long time until it can be forgotten and translated into rising capital markets and attractive stock performances around the globe.
A freelance writer, top MBA graduate with Finance major, passionate about business, finance, history and music; this is pretty much me in a nutshell.
I provide high quality writing services since 2005 in the field of Business & Finance, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews, Health & Fitness, Internet and Relationships. I also have a very good knowledge of Politics and History.
My advanced familiarity with financial modeling, financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has helped me a lot, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective. Besides, having lived for two years in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL and for quite some time in Paris, France has provided me with an international aspect and has enlarged the way I see and understand life.
I currently work as a financial and investment advisor at an international financial institution. Yet, my dream is to be able to make a living as a writer.
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Of all the methods people use to quit smoking, hypnosis is the most effective. There are studies that show that when people use quit smoking hypnosis programs they are successful more than 60% of the time. When you compare that with the success rates of quit smoking drugs (20% to 30%), it makes a lot of sense to use hypnosis programs.
But what exactly happens during hypnosis when it’s used to quit smoking? Basically, you put yourself into a light trance state. You’re not asleep, but you’re not intently focused on your everyday thoughts. You’re in a state of deep relaxation, but you’re still able to hear and respond to the world around you.
A lot of people think they can’t be hypnotized. They know they’re usually tense and have trouble relaxing. But most people can learn relaxation techniques. And that’s really all you need to be able to do for a successful quit smoking hypnosis program.
There are a lot of hypnosis programs that claim that you will quit smoking after one session. This is actually quite possible. Many people report that they have quit smoking for several hours or the rest of the day after only one session.
But that doesn’t mean you never have to use the self hypnosis program began. In reality, when you use a hypnosis program to stop smoking, you’re learning an ongoing technique. You’ll be able to use it for the rest of your life, whenever the urge to smoke comes up.
Think of it this way: if you take a golf lesson, your swing could be greatly improved after only one lesson. But you’d still have to practice that new technique every time you play golf.
It’s the same when you learn a hypnosis technique to stop smoking. Every time you get a nicotine craving, you have a choice to make. You can light up a cigarette or cigar, or you can practice your hypnosis technique.
So will you have to take hypnosis “lessons” forever? Well, think about the golf lesson analogy. If you want to improve your golf game, do you have to take golf lessons forever? Of course not!
You take a lesson to improve your swing, then you go out and practice what you’ve learned. And the more you practice, the better you get, and the easier it is to play well.
But even if your game improves a lot after that one lesson (and lots of practice), there might come a time when you would want to take another lesson. What if you had an accident and hurt your knee, or you just couldn’t play golf for several months? You might need a refresher lesson just to get back into shape.
It’s the same thing when you use hypnosis to quit smoking. You learn it. You practice it. You improve your technique. And the beauty of it is, even though your goal is to quit smoking forever, if that doesn’t happen after your first hypnosis try, you can still try again until you reach your goal.
When your goal is to quit smoking for good, you haven’t failed unless you stop trying. Chances are you’ve already tried to quit smoking at least once. So you already know that it’s not an easy thing to do.
The reality is that most people try to quit smoking several times before they finally quit for good. So instead of beating yourself up for relapsing, think of it as getting one step closer to your final goal. As long as you keep trying to quit, there is no doubt that you will be successful. And using hypnosis will definitely help you achieve your goal.
To learn more about how to Quit Smoking using Hypnosis, visit - for tips, real life experiences, and recommendations on how to quit the habit, using hypnosis.
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Mexico has become one of the most popular tourist destinations. And just like traveling to other countries and cities, one needs enough information to be able to maximize the experience of staying in Mexico.
Here are some tips to help one prepare for an exciting trip to one of the culturally-rich countries, Mexico.
1. Learn the language.
Spanish is the main language spoken in Mexico. Although some residents can communicate in and understand English, Spanish is still the language spoken in commerce. Spanish is easy to learn and once one has been familiarized with sentence construction, he or she can go far just using an English/Spanish dictionary.
Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Hotel Deals” website — — pointed out;
“…Make sure you have an ID with a photo (such as a passport or a driver’s license), your tourist card (which is proof of your permission to visit Mexico) and your proof of citizenship…”
These are the documents that need to be presented before entering Mexico.
3. Take note of the following items as these are allowed to be brought to Mexico:
Personal clothing, footwear and toiletries in practical quantities Magazines and books Personal medicines and prescriptions Used sporting equipment One portable TV and VCR and one typewriter Cassette and records, not exceeding 20 Musical instrument A set of skiing equipment, fishing equipment and tennis rackets Alcohol-containing beverage, not exceeding three liters, and 50 cigars or 400 cigarettes, if tourist is over eighteen years old One still camera and movie camera, with not more than twelve rolls of film
4. Before entering Mexico, there are two forms to be filled out. It is better to prepare a black pen for these. These are usually distributed at the airline ticket counter or while on the plane. The first one is the temporary visa. The second form is for the Customs and Taxation called Hacienda.
5. Although there are businesses that accept foreign currency, make sure that you still have some of your dollars exchanged for the Mexican peso. Credit cards, particularly, those with MasterCard, Visa and AmEx logo are also accepted. Bringing traveler’s checks are also preferred.
6. Drink bottled water or sufficiently boiled water. Never drink tap water even if the place in which you are staying claim to have a water purifying system. Before eating fruits and vegetable, wash these in a purifying solution, peel them and cook them.
“… In a location different from that of the originals, store photocopies of tickets and a list of traveler’s checks…” added A. Lillo.
Further information about the cheapest rates on hotels all around the world by visiting;
With this information, your trip to Mexico will be a safe and enjoyable one.
Aurora Lillo runs his corporate website at where you can see all his articles and press releases.
You might have seen it in the movies, or in TV shows, or on the cover of a gangster novel. The big boss – be he a mafia don, drug lord, or your plain, run-of-the-mill CEO – is sporting a large cigar, and is smoking it unaffectedly. He seems to like it, that tight, large wad of smoke and leaves. But what makes cigars so prized, and why is it often associated with wealth and business?
Very simply, a cigar is a rolled-up heap of dried, fermented tobacco. One end is lit with fire, and the other is the opening by which smoke can enter a user’s mouth. Cigar tobacco is special: its flavor is reputedly richer and deeper than the tobacco used for ordinary cigarettes. Such tobacco is grown in tropical countries, with Brazil, Cuba, Honduras, and Mexico leading the pack. Cuban cigars, in particular, are considered to be the best varieties, although experts contend that Nicaraguan and Honduran cigars easily rival the mighty Cuban.
Cigars were once extremely expensive, and were usually confined to banquets, where “smokers” were held. These were gatherings where important politicians convened to discuss important issues while they smoked. When the U.S. imposed a trade embargo on Cuba in the 20th century, the price of cigars rose much higher, and the use of them was confined to those who could afford them.
In mid-2005, however, cigar prices declined, allowing many smokers (and smoking beginners) to taste and enjoy cigar smoking. But what is there to enjoy in cigars? According to aficionados, cigars have less of the smoky taste of cigarettes, and can even take on the taste of whisky, chocolate, or even wine!
How are cigars made? Choice tobacco leaves are first harvested, then aged by a combination of heat and shade. This serves to lower the leaves’ water and sugar content, without causing leaves to rot. Once the dried leaves are ready, they are made to “die with grace” by a slow process of fermentation. During this time, humidity levels and temperature are controlled, such that the lea will ferment without disintegrating or rotting. In this critical period are ushered out of the leaves the flavors and aroma that characterize the cigar into which it will eventually be made.
When fermentation is done, leaves are sorted out depending on whether they will be used as filler for the cigar, or as wrapper. Leaves must be kept moist, and should be handled very carefully. As soon as they are sorted, a cigar maker will roll them into any of the various cigar shapes, carefully, and by hand.
The flavor of a cigar depends on the leaves used for its wrapper and filler. Wrapper leaves usually come from the widest part of a tobacco plant. Their color can range from the very light, mildly greenish brown shade called the Double Claro; to the oily, black Oscuro grown in Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, or Brazil. The color of a wrapper also describes the color of a cigar.
Most of a cigar is made up of fillers, or the interior, where smoking tobacco leaves are bundled together by elastic leaves called binders. Some cigar makers mix up a variety of leaves of various tastes and strengths, in to produce different flavors of cigar.
To keep their flavor, cigars should be stored at room temperature, but at relatively high humidity. A humidor, or a special wooden box, usually comes with cigars when they are purchased.
Although most certainly damaging to human health, cigars still retain their mystique, whether they are seen on the silver screen, or read about in books.
Planning a visit to Varadero, Cuba? Take that dream vacation you\’ve been planning with a low rate vacation loan from . Vacation payday loan is fetching well-liked among tourists, because it makes traveling excitement, reasonable and trouble-free!
This country continues to attract tourists from all over the world. And it is not surprising – the climate in Cuba, just wonderful! And the emerald sea, colorful locals, an abundance of festivals and carnivals fetch picture. Besides, who refuses to try the famous Cuban rum and cigars?
Varadero\’s largest shopping complex is Plaza America where fancy boutiques and all manner of shops cater to American-style consumerism. There are a number of artisan markets that sell a wide variety of souvenirs along 1th Avenue. For cigars the Casa Del Habana sells excellent quality cigars.
Many travel sites offer information on this topic, as often about Cuba can be heard from the news, but nevertheless wish to once again talk about Cuba, because Cuba – an island of freedom.
There are many bars offering live music, cabaret shows are popular, and dance clubs and discos in the town cater to Cubans and tourists alike. The hotels have nightly entertainment, with lots of Cuban music, dancing and cocktails on offer.
The Pearl Islands is considered to be the Varadero is located on the island Ikakos. Such amazing beaches with white sand and clean sea still need to search! Tourists are invited to visit the Dolphin Aquarium. Trained dolphins put on shows, after which you can swim alongside these graceful mammals, if you like. Very interesting will visit the cave Ambrosia with its ancient rock paintings, as well as the famous National Park Varadero.
Those who like active rest, too, do not be bored: for their services as much -there are over 30 dive sites around Varadero and dive centers offering dive courses. Deep sea fishing, windsurfing, parasailing, kayaking and sailing are all offered. Land-based activities include golf, skydiving and bowling.
The capital of Cuba, Havana is famous for its museums – colonial and anthropological. There is even a museum to combat illiteracy.
The largest park in the Cuban capital is named after V.I. Lenin, you must visit him. Would be an interesting visit to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (the mid 17 the century), Monastery of Santa Clara (17 century), the zoo and the capital Havana Botanical Garden. And not far from the fortress of La Cabaña is a majestic monument – sculpture «Havana Christ», the whole height of 18 meters! Every evening in the castle passes pompous ceremony cannon shots – try to get it. In the time of the colony cannon shot signaled the closing of the gate for travelers and the cessation of movement of ships between the fortresses of La Punta and El Moro. Today, the gun shot in the evening – it\’s just a tribute to tradition and yet another entertainment for tourists, marking the onset of interesting Havana Nights.
Memories last a lifetime! At least once in their lifetime to change the cold winter to sunny beaches of Varadero, visit the home of Roma and the Cuban cigars, or even meet New Year in Cuba – believe me, it\’s worth it!
I had good deal from my travel agency, but couldn’t pay right away and my credit was not perfect but I was able to get a from a payday loan company and instant cash was in my pocket. With same day instant cash loans, you are not anymore required to worry about any vacation emergency. I was able to get my vacation dream and enjoyed Varadero a lot!
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Long associated with the rich and powerful, cigars evoke images of relaxation and rich flavor. A culture around the art of smoking, created and debated by cigar aficionados, assembles various theories and accessories to facilitate or enhance smoking. Cigar smoking, much like wine tasting, has for many years been viewed as a diversion of the elite of society.
The general consensus is that Spain is where cigars were first produced, catching on quickly in the other European countries. Although manufactured in many different countries, Cuban cigars have been considered one of the most flavorful and rich of all cigars for an appreciable period of time. This is due to the regional microclimates Cuba is blessed with, which are said to produce the highest quality tobacco. Combined with the skill of the country’s cigar makers, the result is a world standard in cigars. Other countries that produce sizeable amounts of tobacco and cigars include Brazil, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Cameroon, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Many speculate that the reason cigars have long caught the attention of so many lies in the way it is manufactured. Hand wrapping is the basis of all high quality cigars. Unlike cigarettes, which are mass-produced by enormous machines, cigars undergo a lengthy process of fermentation and aging (much like wine), creating subtle flavors and textures before they are individually wrapped by craftsmen working with their own hands. This makes cigars highly individual, each with a subtle unique character, the best of which provide no smoky aftertaste at all.
The taste of cigars is also much more complex than the flavor of cigarettes. Most cigars are created by wrapping three distinct and different layers of tobacco leaves together, yielding a depth of flavor impossible from a cigarette. Long leaves of tobacco are typically used as the filler in high quality cigars, though a combination of scraps may also be used. This creates complex flavors subtle variations, and different textures. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are mass-produced, filled from gargantuan hoppers containing generally only one type of tobacco. Cigar flavor variation is further diversified by the addition of non-tobacco flavorings. If desired, a cigar aficionado can find chocolate, apple, vanilla, or even coffee-flavored cigars! Most common, however, are cigars flavored with expensive liquors.
Despite the fact that cigars have long been enjoyed for their smooth and complex flavors, smoking them does pose a considerable health risk. All tobacco products contain the addictive substance nicotine. Everyone has heard about the negative health risks of nicotine, but not everyone is familiar with how it causes them.. As even the casual smoker can attest, nicotine is a stimulant that produces a mild sense of euphoria. It is extremely addictive and cigar smoke contains a multitude of toxins, carcinogens, and irritants. There is still a significant risk of developing various types of oral and larynx cancers even though most connoisseurs of cigars will avoid inhaling the smoke.
Robert Williams enjoys writing for several web sites, on and subjects.
Smoking is depicted as the act of combusting, savouring and breathing in tobacco fumes. The vast majority of individuals affiliate the act of smoking with traditional cigars or cigarettes yet in that respect are additional products, some legal and others illegal that a person can smoke. Of course smoking is far from representing a modern tendency though the modern-day general media and film industries seem to have done their level best to make it appear trendy or fashionable to smoke. Historians tell us that the ancient Egyptians smoked tobacco as early as the 16th Century and the Mexican based Aztec civilizations still sooner. The Aztecs even had gods who are pictured as permitting themselves to be smoked by their people. The kick from smoking derives from nicotine, the compound naturally occurring in tobacco and which induces sensations of slight intoxication and giddiness. These euphoric type sensations are comprehended by a lot of individuals as being really relaxing. Nonetheless, smoking possesses risks and has been listed as one of the top five causes of death in people under sixty years of age in the U.S.A.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a chemical alkaloid that is found in several naturally growing plants, most notably the broad leaved tobacco plants. Nicotine is also found in some tea type plants as well as green peppers and tomato plants though in a good deal smaller densities. Nicotine itself is a powerful compound able to stimulate the human brain which is why smoking brings about slight dizziness.
The American Heart Association, which monitors wellbeing issues in America have stated that addiction to nicotine rates amongst the most arduous addictions to break.
Deaths
Figures show that every 12 months in the USA there are almost 500,000 deaths that are directly related to nicotine and smoking tobacco products. Many of these untimely deaths are a direct final result of lung cancer and additional associated health problems brought about by smoke from cigarettes and cigars. Smoking tobacco products can also cause a lowering in the bodies immune systems resulting in the patient becoming much more predisposed to additional conditions and illnesses may also lead to an early demise.
Passive Smoke
It’s no more any secret that smoking tobacco jeopardises other people who do not even smoke themselves but who chance to be in the same locality as individuals who are smoking. This is termed as secondhand smoke or side stream smoke. In modern edifices which feature air conditioner systems and fans, the air from any single portion of the construction may easily be transferred to all other sections of the building producing dangerous circumstances for non-smokers and smokers alike. This situation has been a part of the reasoning behind the recent pushing by a lot of governances to bring in new laws that forestall smoking in public places making it unlawful to smoke in such locals. This is coming about all over the world as more and more ruling bodies take on the obligation of protecting their populations.
Appetite Suppression
Smoking is known to lower an individual’s appetite. In that respect studies have been carried out which have disclosed that the nicotine absorbed from smoking tobacco nicotine in reality inhibits the appetite for carbohydrates. In third world nations where food shortfalls are common, this appetite suppression could lead to malnutrition as well as a number of other related conditions.
Have you ever wondered where cigars were first produced? It is widely believed that cigars were first produced in Spain. But before cigars became all the rage in Europe, tobacco was needed to make them. Tobacco is indigenous to the Americas, where native peoples have produced it for hundreds of years. It is believed that the Maya of Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and parts of Central America cultivated tobacco, and even smoked it! Tobacco use spread to other tribes, both north and south. It is believed that its first use in the United States was probably among the tribe along the Mississippi. It wasn’t until Christopher Columbus sailed his famous voyage to the Americas in 1492 that the rest of the world came to know tobacco.
It is said that Columbus was not impressed by tobacco or its use among native peoples, but many sailors grew found of the strange plant. Soon it quickly caught on in Spain and Portugal. From there, it spread to France, where the French ambassador Jean Nicot lent his name to the scientific name for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The origins of the word tobacco itself are still suspect, although many believe it is simply a corruption of the word Tobago, which is the name of a Caribbean island. Still others believe it comes from the word Tabasco, a region (and now state) in Mexico.
The first tobacco plantation in the United States was established in Virginia in 1612. More tobacco plantations followed in Maryland soon after. Although tobacco became a popular crop, it was only smoked in pipes. The cigar was not introduced to the United States until the late 18th century. Israel Putnam, an army general who had served in the Revolutionary War, is credited with introducing the cigar to the United States. He had traveled to Cuba after the Revolutionary War and returned with a box of Cuban cigars. Their popularity quickly spread, and soon enough cigar factories were established in the area of Harford, Connecticut, where General Putnam resided.
In Europe, cigar production and consumption did not achieve widespread popularity until after the Peninsula War in the early 19th century. British and French veterans returned to their homelands after years of serving in Spain with their tobacco pipes in tow. Among the rich and fashionable, the favored method of taking tobacco was the cigar. Cigar smoking remains a habit associated with the rich and discriminating of upper society.
A recently introduced ordinance limiting the number of restaurants on the South Side is legally enforceable but could be overturned in court, according to the city’s top attorney.
Daniel D. Regan issued his legal opinion earlier this week on the measure, introduced by Councilman Bruce Kraus. City Council voted to postpone discussion on the bill until Wednesday.
The ordinance would limit the number of restaurants, not including fast-food establishments, to one per every 50,000 square feet along East Carson Street between 10th and 27th streets. It stems from the city’s 2007 measure to stop bars from opening once a neighborhood reaches a “saturation point.” Judge Joseph M. James struck down the ordinance last month, saying it infringed on the power of the state Liquor Control Board.
Kraus said he plans to ask for another two-week hold on the ordinance to have further discussions with other elected officials.
“I didn’t want to pursue this and I would have rather it not have happened,” Kraus said. “But it has sparked rather recent conversations.”
“The bill itself was bad policy,” Burgess said. “Any attempt to usurp a judge’s ruling is inappropriate.”
Browse Restaurants in Pittsburgh, PA –
SCM was launched in late 2009 to help promote the fine flavor of our local dining establishments. Our website design brings SteelCityMenus in line with the latest generation of Internet technology, sporting a fresh, innovative look and many community focused features.
You can easily browse our site by restaurant name, location or cuisine style. While you’re here, check out our restaurant menus, photos, or to find out who could best host your catered or private dining event.
I’ve seen this ongoing debate debate jump up again recently in several Blogs and message boards and I can’t help but laugh. It’s not a new debate… Ever since the long copy masters of the early 1900’s, people have been arguing for or against the practice.
As a copywriter and conversion specialist, convincing my clients to test longer copy on their web sites is often a very difficult task. After all, online customers have microscopic attention spans and are always in a hurry to move on.
Different visitors have different goals, different personalities and different buying styles. Some visitors will want to read everything you can give them before buying and then they still need “more information” before they can decide. Others just want to know “what are you selling”, “what does it do for me” and “how much is it” and they want to know it NOW!
It may sound like an impossible task to write copy that sells both of them… After all if you cut your copy to bone to sell the second visitor, you won’t have enough information to persuade the first visitor. And, if you waste the second visitors time by forcing them to read a 20 page letter to “get to the meat”, they will leave.
(Fortunately, there is a way to satisfy BOTH of them on the same page… But more on that in a minute…)
There are two basic camps in this debate… The first group says “Long copy ALWAYS outsells short copy”, while the second group says stuff like “…as a consumer, I don’t have time to read all that copy. I’ll NEVER from long copy.”
The part that makes me laugh is that 90% of the people in BOTH camps have never scientifically tested copy of ANY length! They make these statements of absolute facts, with no test results to back up their claims.
The truth is, sometimes long copy out pulls short copy and sometimes short copy out pulls long copy. But you have to TEST it to know which is going to work for your site and your target demographic. (Actually there is one absolute when it comes to copy… Good copy always outsells Bad copy, regardless of length!)
Another thing to keep in mind is, just because you conduct a test and find that a shorter version out pulls a longer version, don’t automatically assume that “short copy is better than long copy”. If you are testing a clear, attention grabbing short message against a long, boring message, your test is not going to tell you much.
Its much like comments I get from time to time about using audio as a tool on websites. Occasionally a client will tell me “we tested using audio and it didn’t work”. Well… Just testing audio vs. no audio, doesn’t mean your test result is valid. Perhaps your message was not effective, maybe they didn’t like your voice. You need to test multiple audio scripts and even multiple speakers, before you can draw a valid conclusion.
In the end the length of the copy is irrelevant, the response rate is what matters.
From my own testing I have found, as long as you keep your reader interested, keep your copy active and ensure a good flow, longer copy usually out performs short.
To often, people who have heard that “long copy is better”, write long copy for the sake of long copy. The result is usually long-boring copy. Adding more words, just to have longer copy is missing the point… The copy still needs to be tight, clean and laser focused.
The good news is, if your prospect is truly qualified and in real need (or want) of your product or service, they will read everything you give them, as long as you keep it interesting.
My friend (and long copy letter king) Michel Fortin recently posted an excellent article to his Blog about how to keep long copy interesting. You can read it here: http://www.allhottips.comAt the beginning I told you that there is a way to write your copy to persuade and keep the interest of both long copy AND short copy fans.
You can cater to both visitor types by using “Dual Readership Paths”. You do this by using your headlines and sub-headlines within your copy to tell the “scan and ” visitors everything they need to know to make their buying decision. By creatively using your sub-headlines and bullet points you can persuade those who do not have the time to read your entire message, without sacrificing needed benefits and copy for those who won’t without a “full” explanation of your product or service.
The bottom line is this…
The LENGTH of your copy is not what is important, it is the EFFECTIVENESS and response rate that matters.
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites.
earlier this week on the measure, introduced by Councilman Bruce Kraus. City Council voted to postpone discussion on the bill until Wednesday.